The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.

I have always been very open and honest about this part of my life with my friends, my family, and my colleagues. In a perfect world, I don’t think it’s anyone else’s business, but I do think there is value in standing up and being counted. I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.

Right. Cooper recently came out of a different closet when he appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and revealed himself to be a fan of the different Housewives shows on Bravo. Which did you think did more damage to his career? (He obviously wasn’t concerned about being stereotyped.)

A June 20 New York Observer cover story listed Cooper among a group of prominent people widely assumed to be gay but who decline to discuss their personal lives. In it, Washington Blade Editor Kevin Naff guessed Cooper would come out, “Probably when he needs a ratings boost on his talk show.” It seems remarkably cynical to apply that thinking to this news, but Cooper’s announcement does come at a time when his network could desperately use a new storyline: Plunging ratings and a monumental screwup on reporting the Supreme Court’s decision on the Affordable Care Act/Obamacare.